The disclosure pertains to a gas delivery system for a processing chamber. More specifically, embodiments of the invention are directed to gas delivery systems with hot-swappable ampoules.
Many semiconductor processing techniques use precursors or reactants which have been stored/shipped in ampoules. These precursors or reactants can be gases, but are commonly solid or liquids. As many deposition processes, or etch processes, and the like, are gas phase interactions with a substrate surface, it is necessary to evaporate or sublimate the precursors or reactants.
For example, a typical solid precursor would be sublimated using a carrier or purge gas. The carrier gas is passed into an ampoule containing the solid precursor. The solid precursor sublimates and passes, with the carrier gas, and into a processing chamber. Once the level of precursor in the ampoule has decreased below a certain level, the ampoule must be changed to provide a fresh supply of precursor.
Changing ampoules during processing requires a significant amount of time and resources which decreases the productivity of the processing system. Typically, to change ampoules, (1) the process must be stopped, (2) the ampoule cooled, (3) the lines connecting the ampoule to the chamber purged, (4) the ampoule is replaced with a new ampoule, (5) a leak check is performed, (6) the lines are primed, (7) the ampoule is heated, and (8) the process is requalified. This entire procedure can take four to five hours to complete, resulting in a significant amount of downtime for the processing equipment. Additionally, with many current systems and reagents, a user must be careful when changing ampoules and opening the gas box doors because there is no exhaust and there could be a hazard from leaking chemicals.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for apparatus and methods of rapidly and safely changing precursor ampoules while minimizing the impact on the overall productivity.